Visual Arts
Resource list—Introduction
2011/36127[v2]
Visual Arts: Resource list—Introduction
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Copyright
© School Curriculum and Standards Authority, 2012
This document—apart from any third party copyright material contained in it—may be freely copied, or communicated on an
intranet, for non-commercial purposes by educational institutions, provided that it is not changed in any way and that the School
Curriculum and Standards Authority is acknowledged as the copyright owner.
Teachers in schools offering the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) may change the document, provided that
the School Curriculum and Standards Authority’s moral rights are not infringed.
Copying or communication for any other purpose can be done only within the terms of the Copyright Act or by permission of the
School Curriculum and Standards Authority.
Copying or communication of any third party copyright material contained in this document can be done only within the terms of
the Copyright Act or by permission of the copyright owners.
Disclaimer
Any resources such as texts, websites and so on that may be referred to in this document are provided as examples of
resources that teachers can use to support their learning programs. Their inclusion does not imply that they are mandatory or
that they are the only resources relevant to the course.
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Visual Arts: Resource list—Introduction
Visual Arts
RESOURCE LIST—INTRODUCTION
Selection guidelines
The selection of resources is the responsibility of each school and the following points need
to be considered at all times:
 The lists are recommendations only and are not exhaustive. Each school should decide
on specific titles for their students in consultation with their school community and sector
guidelines.
 Some courses have set texts. Check the current syllabus.
 The recommended resources are to be used to support teaching and learning only and
not as a substitute for the syllabus; the syllabus is what is used to develop examination
questions and all teaching should be directly linked to the syllabus.
 Any selection process requires the use of the current syllabus. Syllabus documents are
subject to changes. Users who down load and print copies of a syllabus are responsible
for checking for updates. Advice about any changes made is provided through the
School Curriculum and Standards Authority communication process.
 The perspectives and views expressed in the resources are not endorsed as such but
are provided for classroom discussion and comparison within the context of appropriate
teaching and learning activities. Some resources need to be used with sensitivity and
care.
Types of resource lists
The following resource lists are provided for this course: Introduction which includes
Guidelines, Process, Professional Associations/Suppliers and Journals; Print materials;
Websites and a combined list for printing.
Selection process
Step 1: Read the current syllabus
Check the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website to see if you have the current
syllabus; check the eCircular to see if any minor changes have been made to the syllabus.
Step 2: Narrow the choice of resources to match the decisions made by your school. Check
the following:
 which stage/s does your school offer? P, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3?
 which units? PAVAR, PBVAR, 1AVAR, 1BVAR, 1CVAR, 1DVAR, 2AVAR, 2BVAR,
3AVAR, 3BVAR?
 which units are being taught this semester/year?
 what is the focus of the units being taught?
 what are the context/s being taught? In Visual Arts courses the contexts are
suggested for all units. Check the syllabus for details.
Step 3: Some of these resources may be in your school. Check your library and the relevant
learning area library.
Step 4: There are no set texts for this course.
Step 5: Selecting resources
Each of the Visual Arts units has a unit focus or theme. The course content in visual arts
units is art making and art interpretation. The focus or theme will determine the development
Visual Arts: Resource list—Introduction
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of integrated teaching and learning programs which address the practical (art making) and
theoretical (art interpretation) sections of each unit.
For example:
The unit focus for 2AVAR is differences. ‘Suggested learning contexts’ provide starting
points for developing a teaching and learning program. The Australian landscape tradition
might provide the historical and contemporary context, and the focus for both the practical
and theoretical sections might be realist and abstract interpretations of the landscape and/or
White Australian and Indigenous interpretations of the landscape and/or historical and
contemporary interpretations of the landscape and/or two and three dimensional
interpretations of the landscape and/or interior and exterior interpretations of landscape
and/or micro and macro interpretations of landscape and so on.
Step 6: Web searches
Resources for visual arts units are readily available on the web. A single word search will
often result in hundreds of thousands of references. The following web search course, Bare
Bones 101, developed by library staff at the University of South Carolina will refine your
search skills.
The following links will direct you to websites outside the School Curriculum and Standards
Authority site. The Authority has no control over the content of materials accessible on the sites that
are cross-referenced. It is the responsibility of the user to make decisions about the relevance and
accuracy, currency and reliability of information found on these websites. Linking to these sites
should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We cannot guarantee that the links will work all of
the time and we have no control over availability of the linked pages. It is your responsibility to
check that this information is accurate.
Professional Associations
 Art Education Association of Western Australia
The Art Education Association exists to promote and improve the quality of Art Education in
Western Australia through the support of best practice and innovation

Art Education Australia
Art Education Australia represents and speaks for Visual Arts Education in Australia and in an
international context.
Journals
 Art Ed Journal. Frequency: 2–4 issues per year. Subscription is provided through
membership of the Art Education Association of WA
 Art Education Australia. Frequency: two issues per year. Subscription is provided
through membership of the AEA
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Visual Arts: Resource list—Introduction
State Courses and Documents
Relevant information can be found in interstate curriculum. For example:

VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education)
Study designs and resources, advice for school assessment, support materials.

HSC Online (Higher School Certificate, New South Wales)
Syllabus, assessment and examination materials, support documents and resources, case
studies, links.

SACE Board (South Australian Certificate of Education)
Assessment and reporting advice, support materials, subject advice and strategies.

QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education)
Syllabus, work programs, assessment and quality assurance, example making and appraising
a body of work.

ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (ACT Senior Secondary Certificate)
Course Frameworks (syllabus)

TCE (Tasmanian Certificate of Education)
Course documents and support materials
Specialist Resource Suppliers
In addition to your regular school suppliers you may like to check the following suppliers for
subject specific materials
The Search Perth site contains a list of art supplies stores. Regional and remote schools can
view and order art supplies on line.
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